ENTRY NO.

The Role of Assessment in Teaching

NAME: ESGUERRA, Katrina Faith C. YEAR AND SECTION: BSEd 3A English

DATE OF SUBMISSION: October 11, 2019

INTRODUCTION

The discussion of formative assessment practice and implications for teachers’

professional learning, in chapters 1 and 2, draws attention to the close relationship between
assessment and pedagogy. Indeed, the argument in both chapters is that effective assessment
for learning is central and integral to teaching and learning. This raises some theoretical questions
about the ways in which assessment, on the one hand, and learning, on the other, are
conceptualized and how they articulate. This chapter considers the relationship between
assessment practice and the ways in which the processes and outcomes of learning are
understood, which also has implications for curriculum and teaching.

Starting from an assumption that there should be a degree of alignment between

assessment and our understandings of learning, a number of different approaches to the practice
of classroom assessment are described and analyzed for the perspectives on learning which
underpin them. The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework for understanding a reformed
view of assessment, where assessment plays an integral role in teaching and learning. If
assessment is to be used in classrooms to help students learn, it must be transformed in two
fundamental ways. First, the content and character of assessments must be significantly
improved. Second, the gathering and use of assessment information and insights must become
a part of the ongoing learning process.

RESULTS/ FINDINGS

The purpose of assessment in classrooms must be changed fundamentally so that it is

used to help students learn and to improve instruction rather than being used only to rank students
or to certify the end products of learning. The nearly exclusively normative use of tests in the U.S.
to compare students to one another and to determine life chances is the key culprit in developing
classroom cultures dominated by an exchange value of learning, where students perform to
please the teacher or to get good grades rather than to pursue a compelling purpose. By contrast,
in classrooms where participation in learning is motivated by its use value, students and teachers
would have a shared understanding that finding out what makes sense and what doesn’t is a joint
and worthwhile project, essential to taking the next steps in learning.

To serve this end, more specific principles of classroom assessment require that
expectations and intermediate steps for improvement be made visible to students and that
students be actively involved in evaluating their own work. These principles encompass many
things, namely that, learners must construct knowledge and understandings within a social
context, new learning is shaped by prior knowledge and cultural perspectives, intelligent thought
involves “metacognition” or self-monitoring of learning and thinking, cognitive performance
depends on dispositions and personal identity, challenging standards aimed at higher order
thinking and problem solving, Equal opportunity for diverse learners and authenticity in the
relationship between learning in and out of school.

DISCUSSION/ ANALYSIS

To learn something new the learner must actively teach herself what new information
means. How does it fit with what I already know? Does it make sense? If it contradicts what I
thought before, how am I going to reconcile the differences? If I substitute this new idea for an old
one, do I have to rethink other closely related ideas? New learning is shaped by prior knowledge
and cultural perspectives. Because mastery of subject matter knowledge has traditionally implied
at least some rote memorization, curriculum reformers have sometimes swung to the other
extreme, emphasizing processes over content. Those with existing knowledge stores can reason
more profoundly, elaborate as they study, and thereby learn more effectively in that knowledge
domain. Effective teaching (and assessment) not only begins by eliciting students’ prior
knowledge and intuitions, it also develops a community of practice where it is customary for
students to review and question what they already believe.

Ironically the validity of efforts to assess prior knowledge are themselves affected by a
student’s knowledge base and by cultural practices. Often prior knowledge is measured using
skills checklists or a pretest version of the intended end-of-unit test. Such procedures are likely to
underestimate the relevant knowledge of all but the most sophisticated members of the class
since most will not be able to make the translation between pretest vocabulary and their own
intuitive knowledge gained in other contexts. Open discussions or conversations are more likely
to elicit a more coherent version of students’ initial conceptual understandings as well as the
reasoning behind their explanations.

Intelligent thought involves “metacognition” or self-monitoring of learning and thinking.

Adept learners are able to take charge of their own learning using a variety of self-monitoring
processes. This concept of metacognition, or thinking about thinking, is a key contribution of the
cognitive revolution.

Cognitive performance depends on dispositions and personal identity. Historically,

research on motivation was undertaken by social psychologists separate from the work of learning
researchers. Students might not employ the strategies they know unless they are motivated to do
so. Traditional classroom practices, especially testing practices, and larger societal norms have
created environments in which students may not be motivated to take risks, to try hard, or to
demonstrate their intellectual competence. For example, students are less likely to persist in
working on difficult tasks if they know their performance will be evaluated. According to
motivational researchers, students who believe that academic achievement is determined by fixed
ability are more likely to work toward “performance goals,” that is, for grades, to please the
teacher, and to appear competent. This kind of learning is a pervasive feature of school settings,
where the exchange value of learning outcomes is emphasized over the use value of learning.

Performance-oriented students tend to pick easy tasks and are less likely to persist once
they encounter difficulty. Unfortunately, girls are overrepresented in this category. Students who
attribute academic success to their own efforts are more likely to adopt “learning goals,” which
means they are motivated by an increasing sense of mastery and by the desire to become
competent. Not surprisingly, students with a learning orientation are more engaged in school
work, use more self-regulation and metacognitive strategies, and develop deeper understanding
of subject matter.

Challenging standards aimed at higher order thinking and problem solving. That the
common curriculum should address challenging standards aimed at higher order thinking and
problem solving is likewise a rejection of past practices and theory. The transmission model of
learning based on rote memorization of isolated facts removed learning from contexts that could
provide both meaning and application. By watering down curricula and emphasizing minimum
competencies, schools have lowered expectations and limited opportunities to learn. By contrast,
if children are presented with more challenging and complex problems and given the support to
solve them, they will develop deeper understandings and at the same time become more adept
at the modes of inquiry and ways of reasoning that will help them solve new problems in the
future. Equal opportunity for diverse learners.

The commitment to equity as part of standards-based reform implies changing both

expectations and resources. Not only do children from poor and minority communities receive
less rigorous curricula (a problem that standards are intended to address), but they are taught by
teachers with less academic preparation and less experience, have access to fewer books and
computers, and often attend schools that are unsafe or where it is uncool to take school work
seriously. Equal access to high-quality instruction implies more than even-handed allocation of
fiscal and human resources, however. It also requires a more thoughtful and deeper
understanding of the tension between treating everyone the same versus respecting and
responding to differences. If prior knowledge enables new learning, then it is essential that
children from diverse backgrounds have the opportunity to demonstrate what they “know” about
a topic and also that they be able to a participate in the classroom in ways that are consistent with
the language and interaction patterns of home and community.

Authenticity in the relationship between learning in and out of school. This principle
suggests that the what of subject matter should also change to provide better connections with
the real context of knowledge use. School learning has traditionally between quite distinct from
learning outside of school. In-school learning is formal and abstract and removed from the use of
tools or contexts that would supply meaning. However, school learning is also more reflective,
disciplined and general and thereby provides more adaptability to new problem situations than
context-specific learning acquired on the job or in the streets.

CONCLUSION

The purpose of assessment in classrooms must also be changed fundamentally so that it

is used to help students learn and to improve instruction rather than being used only to rank
students or to certify the end products of learning. The nearly exclusively normative use of tests
to compare students to one another and to determine life chances is the key culprit in developing
classroom cultures dominated by an exchange value of learning, where students perform to
please the teacher or to get good grades rather than to pursue a compelling purpose. By contrast,
in classrooms where participation in learning is motivated by its use value, students and teachers
would have a shared understanding that finding out what makes sense and what doesn’t is a joint
and worthwhile project, essential to taking the next steps in learning. To serve this end, more
specific principles of classroom assessment require that expectations and intermediate steps for
improvement be made visible to students and that students be actively involved in evaluating their
own work. It goes without saying that such a view of assessment is an ideal, rarely observed in
practice. However, I would argue that changing assessment practices is the most difficult because
of the continued influence of external standardized tests and because most teachers have had
little training beyond objective writing and familiarity with traditional item formats to help them
know how to assess their students’ understandings.
 QUESTIONNAIRE

Directions:

Please read each item carefully and select the response you think is the best one by putting a
check on the corresponding line provided and encircle those that require your rating. Even if you
are not sure of your choice, but you think you know which is best, mark that response.

1. Background Information:
a. Age: __________
b. Gender: Female
c. Subjects that you are teaching: English
2. Which of the following is the most appropriate description of the level at which you teach?

_________ elementary – primary (grades 1-4)

_________ elementary – intermediate (grades 6-5)

 secondary

_________ college

_________ others

3. Which best describes the educational level you have attained?

_________ B.A. or B.S.
 M.A., M.A.Ed., M.A.T., M.S.
_________ Specialist
_________ Ed.D./Ph.D.
4. Including the current year, how many years of experience do you have a s a classroom
teacher?
_________ 1 – 5 years
 6 – 10 years
_________11 – 15 years
_________ 16 – 20 years
_________ 21- 25 years
_________ 25 – 30 years
 _________ more than 30 years
5. What is assessment for you?

Assessment is a vital part of teaching, because it determines whether or not or not the desires

of education are being met. Evaluation impacts decisions about grades, placement,

advancement, academic goals, and curriculum.

6. Describe your utilization of the following assessment approaches on a 10-point scale, with 1
equal to not at all and 10 equal to very often.
a. Selected response (objective types) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

b. Constructed response (subjective) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

c. Performance assessment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

d. Portfolio assessment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

e. Personal communication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

f. Observation techniques 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

7. Which assessment approach(es), if any, do you favor in primary/intermediate setting? Why?

Not applicable to me.

8. Which assessment approach(es), if any, do you favor in secondary/ college setting? Why?

I prefer objective type of assessment because it really shows the level of knowledge of the

students with regards to the lesson discussed. It shows whether they have in depth knowledge

of the subject matter or if it is only surface level.

9. Relate your need for further training in the following assessment approaches on a 10-point
scale, with 1 equal to very low and 10 equal to very high.
a. Selected response (objective types) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

b. Constructed response (subjective) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

c. Performance assessment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

d. Portfolio assessment 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
 e. Personal communication 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

f. Observation techniques 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

10. Do you believe that the so-called recent trends in classroom assessment (e.g. assessing of
processes, integrated skills, many correct answers, public standards and criteria, multiple
assessments, group evaluation) are actually evident in our classrooms today? Why?

No, because even teachers nowadays still have a long way to go when it comes to

implementing better classroom assessment.

11. Describe your overall level of assessment literacy on a 10-point scale, with 1 equal to very

low and 10 equal to very high.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

__________________________________
Teacher’s Signature
 REFLECTION

After a week of observation for my Field Studies 1, 2, and 3, I was able to observe a few
assessment methods used by my cooperating teachers. Since there are three English teachers
in my cooperating school and there are only two of us who are observing there, we had to do a
rotation so we can observe the classes of all three. It sounds a little inconvenient not to have one
permanent CT, but it’s actually a lot more favorable for me because I get to observe their different
styles of assessing the students’ level of mastery of the subject, students’ skills and
competencies, as well as students’ level of interest and motivation.

One of the English teachers asked the students to convert a poem into a song and after,
they would have to give their own explanation of the poem. Then, he gave them the rubrics that
he would grade them by. The rubrics contained clarity and organization of the explanation, content
and performance. After the students’ performance, the teacher gave them feedback about their
performance and then, he gave his own explanation for the poem.

Another teacher gave the grade 10 class an information gathering task about a national
issue of their own choice and, on the next meeting, asked them to make a five-paragraph essay
using the details they were able to gather. She informed the class that this activity would evaluate
their information gathering and note taking skills, essay writing skills as well as their mastery of
grammar and use of English language as a medium of writing.

Another teacher I observed gave a discussion about adverbs and its different kinds. After,
she gave an oral recitation wherein students would choose an adverb and use it in a sentence.
The students would then identify the adverb, the word it modifies and give what kind of adverb it
is. Each student answered one-by-one and the teacher gave her feedback for each and every
one of them.

As I conducted my observation, I came to the realization that every teacher has their own
way of assessing students’ performance, whether informal or formal, whether with regards to the
lesson or just the personal condition of the student. With this realization, I conclude that
assessment is indeed the most important part of learning because it is only through assessment
that teachers’ will be able to assess the depth of the students’ learning.